Dance Central

Gearbox and Harmonix have worked together in the past with a dance section in one of last year's trailers for Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel. At the PAX East Inside Gearbox panel, Gearbox and Harmonix announced a new p...

Oct 09 //
Chris Carter
Dance Central Spotlight (Xbox 360, Xbox One [reviewed])Developer: HarmonixPublisher: HarmonixReleased: September 2, 2014MSRP: $9.99 (with 10 songs)
First things first -- what is Spotlight? It's basically a delivery system for all the game's DLC, and a bite-sized offering of the original games. It is $9.99 at its base price, which nets you 10 songs. Every other song can be purchased for roughly $2 as DLC, and all of your past DLC will import into Spotlight (but you can't import the games proper).
Here are the 10 tunes you get with the core game: "Counting Stars" by OneRepublic, "Diamonds" by Rihanna, "Happy" by Pharrell Williams, "I Wish" by Cher Lloyd, "Royals" by Lorde, "Show Me" by Kid Ink, "Talk Dirty" by Jason Derulo, "#thatpower" by will.i.am, "Titanium" by David Guetta, and "Wake Me Up" by Avicii. The problem right off the bat for me is that a number of these tracks aren't particularly exciting, with the exception of "Happy" -- provided that you haven't gotten sick of it yet -- and "Titanium."
With a very strong core pack of songs, including a mixture of both new and old tunes, Spotlight could have been a must-buy for fans. Instead, you'll have to dig into the DLC library to get some variety, such as A-Ha's "Take on Me" and The B-52's "Love Shack." My favorite thing about Dance Central 3 was that it constantly switched between classic and modern tracks without players needing to fumble around with DLC, which isn't really represented here.
[embed]282072:55913:0[/embed]
Having said that, $10 isn't a bad price for a starter pack, and considering the price of past games, you can build your own library as more songs are released. Each track also sports eight routines (Beginner, Standard, Deluxe, Pro, Alternate, Cardio, Strength, Alternate Pro) in Spotlight.
If you look at the core game though, Spotlight looks, feels, and controls like a full release. The Kinect movements are still accurate, you can still dance with a friend, and the routines have enough variety in them to keep you interested for at least a few sessions each. In fact, the Kinect 2.0 hardware feels even more accurate than its predecessor, which goes a long way if you're a perfectionist. I definitely can't state that strongly enough -- fans who have played past games in the series will pick up on the enhanced accuracy.
One of the best parts of Spotlight is the instant practice mode concept. All you have to do is basically ask Kinect to practice in the middle of a song, and it will take you to another screen that lets you learn a part you're having trouble with. In the past you either had to practice the entire tune or skip to a certain part with multiple clicks, so having this instant mechanic is great for mastering that one part you always screw up.
Gone is a lot of the charm that came with Dance Central 3's campy "crews" -- instead, you're going to see a lot less flair and just straight gameplay. That may be a good thing for a lot of people who disliked the goofiness of the series, but for me it's all part of what makes Dance Central unique.
As a side note, a few features have also been cut, like H-O-R-S-E, eight-person multiplayer (it only supports two now), and Kinect photo sessions, though fitness mode is still in, with some improvements like more workout tweaks. Although most people won't really notice the enhancements, if you still play fitness mode to this day Spotlight is probably worth the upgrade.
If you have an Xbox 360 and a Kinect handy, you'd be better off just picking up prior Dance Central games on the cheap and reaping the benefits of an extended library, better multiplayer, and more game modes. But for everyone else who bought an Xbox One and has a Kinect collecting dust, it's a great way to bring some life to your next party.

A bite-sized performance[Disclosure: Nick Chester, who is currently employed at Harmonix, previously worked at Destructoid. As always, no relationships, personal or professional, were factored into the review.]
Although it's been a lot tougher to ge...

Dance Central Spotlight is a thing that's out today on Xbox One. It's basically a digital bite-sized version of the series that includes 10 songs as its base, with more available as DLC. For fans of the franchise, it's n...

Harmonix's latest venture in exploiting how uncoordinated you are is set to take off in the fall. Just announced today, Dance Central Spotlight will release on Xbox One on September 2 at a price point of $9.99. Right off...

Jun 09 //
Dale NorthThere's a new fitness mode that will give players up to 90 minutes of non-stop dancing to burn calories. A new practice mode can be called forth at any time to learn moves. There's also the ability to do a loop of routines, like a sort of playlist.
So far, these are the only confirmed songs for the tracklist:
“Wake Me Up” – Avicii
“Talk Dirty” – Jason Derulo ft. 2 Chainz
“Show Me” – Kid Ink ft. Chris Brown
“Counting Stars” – OneRepublic
“Happy” – Pharrell Williams

Kinect lives on
Dance Central Spotlight is a new Xbox One Kinect dancing title. The idea is to keep the focus on dancing and music, serving as a sort of follow-up to the hit Xbox 360 title Dance Central.
The difference here is that Spotligh...

In a shocking turn of events, after 275 straight week of DLC, Harmonix announced that Rock Band would cease offering new content.
Now, it seems as if its other major franchise, Dance Central, will be following suit "for ...

This month, downloadable songs from Drake, Rihanna, and Fergie will be joining the Dance Central 3 library. It all starts tomorrow with Drake's "Take Care"; March 12 will see the release Rihanna's "Umbrella" and "SOS"; and on...

[In this guest blog written by Dance Central superfan David Nguyen, we're given a look at how he was able to go from cosplaying and creating some mash-up art for the fun of it to working with developer Harmonix on the pixel-...

I'm going to be straight with you on this blog post. I like Dance Central 3 and all (I got a copy for my niece for Christmas), and Carly Rae Jespen is great, but I really just posted this story to have another excuse to shar...

Urrrrsherrrrr? Say his name correctly, you idiot!
In the coming weeks you'll see a couple of fun track additions to Dance Central 3. The biggest of the bunch is PSY's "Gangnam Style," though you'll have to wait until November...

You had to have known that Psy's "Gangnam Style" was in the works for Dance Central 3. I'll be curious to see what society thinks of the song a decade from now, but for now, Harmonix is getting in on the sensation while the g...

SmatGlass lets your phone or tablet become the most connected remote control ever. Or, in games, turns it into a second screen. All this functionality goes live on October 26, alongside the launch of Windows 8, Windows RT and...

[Update: Check the ridiculous launch trailer!]
Dance Central 3 is out today (and on Oct. 19 for our friends in Europe and Asia) for those that like to shake their ass in front of their televisions. Its songlist has been slow...

Today on The Destructoid Show, we do what we always do on The Destructoid Show: talk about video game news,
For starters, Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 will be making CoD: Elite a free service, but will be offering a seaso...

Oct 15 //
Steven Hansen
Dance Central 3’s Smart Glass companion app can be used to usurp the Kinect for a host of functions. Most notably, it can be used, even while people are dancing, to queue up new songs to play. Playing these sorts of games in a busy, party-style environment is always a bit of a drag when you hit that lull between songs and the next person up is scrolling through every single title to find what they want to play, so this is a rather nice way to circumvent all of that.
Those stationed in front of the TV screen will see the next queued up song on and have the ability to play it or skip to the next track, so if a nefarious rabble-rouser decides to queue up twenty “Macarenas,” you’re not obligated to play through them all before finding where they hid the phone or tablet. Unless you want to. I hope it’s stuck in your head now.
Organizing playlists is the main draw, since it keeps people dancing and away from having to try and navigate the Kinect menus (particularly as nights wear on and that becomes more of a challenge in and of itself), but there are a few other functions the app can provide. You can alter certain gameplay parameters with it, choosing whether to play full or abridged versions of selected tracks.
Additionally, you can scroll through songs available for purchase and place them in your cart before buying them through the 360, as well as check out your progress on challenges, view leaderboards, and connect with Facebook to view and share the pictures the Kinect occasionally takes of you making a fool of yourself. You can also manage fitness goals, setting how many you are aiming to burn in a given stretch of time.
The free app works with existing Windows tablets and phones, formatting itself a bit differently on either, but effectively functioning the same. If you’re planning to play Dance Central 3 in the party-style environment it’s so good for, or even if you want to make playlist for yourself to keep your boogie flowing smoothly, this Smart Glass app has its uses.

Surprsingly useful boogie facilitatorI was having a hard time remembering whether or not Smart Glass is cool, because I feel like I haven’t been primed on the application since Microsoft’s E3 conference -- I’ve already forgotten most of the nea...

Oct 15 //
Chris Carter
Dance Central 3 (Xbox 360 [reviewed])Developer: HarmonixPublisher: Harmonix/MTV GamesRelease: October 16th, 2012MSRP: $49.99
Dance Central 3 attacks and tops the previous iterations in two ways: It bolsters the party scene by including the incredibly streamlined party mode, and it enhances solo play with story mode and specific dance tutorials that actually strive to teach you the moves themselves. As far as I'm concerned, PaRappa the Rapper is the only game in the genre to truly pulled off a fun, unique story mode, so I was initially fairly hesistant to accept Dance Central 3's.
Have you ever been to Disney World or Disneyland and seen those cheesy pre-ride shows? The ones that require you to suspend your disbelief and just go along for the ride? That's kind of what Dance Central 3's story is like -- and I love it.
[embed]235808:45301[/embed]
As a member of the Dance Central Intelligence agency (DCI), it's your job to travel through time and stop the evil Dr. Tan from eliminating the spirit of dance everywhere.
In order to progress to the next decade, not only do you have to score 15 total stars across the five select songs of the era, but you also have to decipher a handful of "era craze" dance moves. I don't want to spoil things for you, but depending on your perspective, this will either be the most exciting or most frustrating part of the game.
During certain songs, there are special moves that you have to complete. I would rehearse songs at least a few times for some of these moves, because on occasion they can be extremely difficult to pull off. Once you get all of them, you can assemble them to decipher then master the "era craze," a definitive dance for each decade.
When they're actually completed, you feel an awesome sense of accomplishment, and odds are you actually learned that move in real life -- a twofold process that helps Dance Central 3 transcend its predecessors. If this sounds appealing to you, you'll most likely get addicted to "catching them all," and I hope this mechanic returns in Dance Central 4.
Time travel is the catalyst to give you an excuse to check out tunes from the 70s, 80s, and 90s, as well as the more contemporary 00s and 10s. While there are around ten-and-some-change songs from the 70s and 80s eras (which puts them far below the song count of the 90s and beyond), an amicable attempt is made to include a ton of classic songs, which is already an improvement from the decidedly contemporary-centric Dance Central 1 and 2.
While you're doing all this, you'll earn level-ups and thus more unlockables, such as playable characters and costumes. Speaking of the characters, they're actually more fleshed out in this title due to the fact that they're supposed to represent their eras, giving them a bit more personality.
As for the gameplay, individual dances are much more unique and feel more closely related to each song. I was actually smiling the entire time while doing the Tin Man Hop from Daft Punk's "Around the World." Same thing with "cleanup" move during the "skeet skeet" hook of Lil Jon's "Get Low."
As evidenced by the story mode, Dance Central 3 sells more of an educational stance than the past two titles even in the free play modes, and I like where they're going with this. Specifically, it has dances like the Electric Slide, the Dougie, and the Macarena, obviously put in to show you how to groove step by step and actually learn the dance -- kind of like how Rocksmith sought to do the same thing with real instruments.
Party mode is what you'll want to put on if you're having a party, obviously. It's a streamlined mode that randomizes everything and dynamically changes the difficulty depending on your performance, kind of like God Hand (yeah, I name-dropped God Hand in a rhythm game review). Thankfully, you can also use Microsoft's Smartglass to DJ the songs in Party mode, which is a nice touch, and the H-O-R-S-E mode is one of the best additions to the franchise to date.
Fitness mode is back and still as great as ever. Because of the sheer amount of songs, you can set a playlist and watch your calories burn off in front of your eyes, just as in past games. You can set goals for yourself after inputting your personal info, whether it's a daily or weekly target. Songs start immediately after one ends, which lets you keep a solid heart-rate.
The focus on these popular dances is a cool addition, as they'll most likely come in handy at a wedding or a club or something at some point in your life. I'm not ashamed to admit that I didn't know how to dance until my mid-20s, and this game would have helped me tremendously in high school.
An all-new easy mode simplifies things, making this game the most accessible entry yet. It's little incentives like this that will entice non-dancers to attempt the game, which is a great thing when it comes to this genre.
As is the case with Harmonix games, Dance Central 3 will wholly support DLC, whether it's songs you already own from past titles or a steady release of future songs. You can also easily import all of your songs from Dance Central or Dance Central 2 for 400 Microsoft Points per collection (with the code included in new copies). Oh, and there might be "Gangnam Style" DLC down the line, if you're interested.
The fact that you can import music from the first two games is one of the most appealing aspects of Dance Central 3, as I personally have benefited thanks to owning more songs than I know what to do with. It's absolutely perfect for Party mode, as you almost never hear the same song twice, and Harmonix should be commended for this kind of support.
So long as you enjoyed the series in the past, you should jump on the opportunity to tackle these new modes. If you're not sold on dancing in front of a robotic camera yet, I doubt Dance Central 3 will change your mind, but this iteration makes more convincing arguments than ever before.

Get down like Doc BrownThe Dance Central franchise took me by surprise. In the very early stages of Kinect, I was extremely skeptical of the tech -- to be blunt, I didn't really believe in it. After testing the first entry at E3, however, I w...

In honor of upcoming Xbox 360/Kinect release Dance Central 3, Harmonix has discounted their singles and packs for the franchise. You can nab singles for 160 Microsoft points, down from 240 MSP. That's a dollar off, from $3 to...

There are a lot of games that let you dance in front of your television, but how many of them tell you an original story while doing so? This new movie trailer for Dance Central 3's Story Mode had me saying 'what?!' over and...

The Burch brood do their best Shabba Doo and Boogalo Shrimp impersonations in the latest Hey Ash, Whatcha Playin'? Can they move to the groove and shake what their mama gave them? Probably not. But give them props for the effort!
Also, SUPER SECRET ENDING! Is Ash gonna die? Also probably not.
Hey Ash, Whatcha Playin'? - Dance Central 2 [GameTrailers]

I was both excited and scared when I learned Harmonix would be swinging by the studio last week to show off some of Dance Central 3's new Story mode. Excited at the prospect of upholding my reign of internet humiliation...

Aug 21 //
Abel Girmay
Dance Central 3 (Xbox 360)Developer: HarmonixPublisher: MicrosoftRelease: October 16, 2012
New to this year's game is the inclusion of a story mode. Yes, a story mode. The plot follows you as you attempt to join the ranks of the Dance Central Intelligence (DCI). You see, the evil mad scientist Dr. Tan has been building an army of evil dancers and sending them through time warps in order to learn the dance crazes of each decade in an attempt to use those moves in the ultimate dance off that will forever stop the party. Being the super saver defender of all dancing crime that you are, you will go back in time as a DCI agent to learn all the dance crazes dating back to the '70s and combat Dr. Tan to make sure the party never stops. If it's not already clear, the story is balls-to-walls insane and not at all taking itself seriously. As a means to move you along the main campaign mode, it isn't really needed, but it lays the cheesiness on so thick that you can't help but give in and crack a smile or two.
More than just serving as a crazy plot point, time travel brings with it a few key changes to Dance Central 3. The biggest, of course, is the addition of dance moves from the 1970s onward. Your main task, apart from high scores, is to find five dance moves hidden within the routines that you will be performing through the decades. Once you nail each routine in a given decade, you decipher then perform the completed dance craze -- in our 1970s demo, for example, we unlocked the Hustle. Perform it correctly, then its on to the new decade.
Story mode is all fun and well, but the crux of the Dance Central experience has always been its multiplayer modes. The first mode shown off was a interesting twist on the traditional Dance Central experience, called Strike a Pose. As the name suggests, Strike a Pose has players striking individual poses in a routine rather than performing a full dance move. So instead of actually dancing, you would just hold a pose for a few seconds at a time. An interesting addition, to be sure, but a welcome one for those with two left feet. If you suck at Dance Central (like Dtoid's very own Max Scoville and Tara Long proved during their time with it), Strike a Pose is a great way to get acquainted with exact positioning.
Of course, if you just want say "to hell with learning choreographed dances" and instead create your own, you now have that option in the Make Your Move mode. As obvious a title as "Strike a Pose," Make Your Move gives players the chance to flex a bit of their creative muscles and hopefully make their friends look like an ass in the process. In this versus mode, players take turns adding new steps to a routine while the others must match the additional steps. When a total of five steps have been created, the game mashes them up into one routine that both of you perform together. While the main purpose of this mode seems to be to encourage creativity, what struck the most was the back-and-forth dynamic. With both players making their own moves for the other the match, it feels about as close to a dance battle as we've seen in the series so far.
The final party mode shown off was also aptly named: Party Time. Party Time is built as a customizable experience -- the default mode when playing Dance Central 3 in an actual party environment. You start by simply having two players walking into Kinect's field of view and high fiving each other to start a match. From there, the game throws various modes and songs from a preset playlist, which can be customized beforehand in the options menu. The best thing about Party Time is its accessibility. Being tailored to a party environment, it's a seamless experience to walk in, play a song or two, and back out until the next pair of would be b-boys step up and high five.
Simply put, if you have played and enjoyed any game in the Dance Central series, there is plenty here to be excited about. And of course, you will be able to import all the songs and from the first two games as well as the DLC tracks. Haters gonna keep hatin', as there may not be anything to win you lot over, but if your Kinect has been getting little love lately, Dance Central 3 could be just what you need to put that spark back in the romance.

With a mostly sorry launch lineup, Kinect's first-year appeal came almost entirely from Dance Central. Since then, it too often feels like this series is solely providing the legs for Microsoft's motion platform. Less than a ...

Do you like to dance in front of a robotic eye bar in your living room? The best way to do that is with the Dance Central series, and it looks like Dance Central 3 will top its predecessors with a story mode and several hot t...

As co-host of The Destructoid Show, I consider it my prerogative - nay, my mission - to embarrass myself on a near daily basis. It's not something I typically take issue with, as long as I can say that at the end of the day,...

The new Dance Central 2 Facebook app lets you check your high scores, compare leaderboard rankings and see how you stack up against your friends (or the world) on individual songs. Go here, get the app, link your gamertag, an...

Whether you're a part of the old school or the new, fresh beats are always something to get excited about. Harmonix has just announced their new tracks for Dance Central 2, kicking it off with Cee-Lo Green's "Forget...

As if dancing in front of a camera in the comfort of your own home didn't make you look silly enough already, Harmonix has released an app for iOS, Android and Windows Phone devices today to take the humiliation to the next ...

Been getting enough of the dance game craze yet? Well, I'm sure some of you out there aren't because the dancing games are still selling like crazy. As a result, new DLC is on the way for Dance Central 2 tomorrow and this tim...

More Dance Central 2 DLC is on the horizon and tomorrow's bounty brings more Lady Gaga tunes to shake your groove thing to. "Edge of Glory" and "Marry the Night" from her recent album Born this Way will be available for...

Today is the last day the entire Dance Central DLC song catalogue is on sale so if you completely forgot about it, but still want that sweet DLC, you better get on it fast.
The thing with these DLC songs is that even if you l...